🔗 Share this article

Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who documented the results of a massive law enforcement action in Rio de Janeiro has described how local people returned with mutilated bodies of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "continued arriving: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness stated. The total contained those of police officers.

A particular victim had been decapitated - while others appeared "severely damaged", he said. Numerous victims displayed evidence of blade trauma.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid Rio has experienced.

The photographer stated that residents first notified him about the operation early on Tuesday by residents living in Alemão, who contacted him alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer went to the healthcare center, where the casualties were being brought.

Itan explained that law enforcement stopped members of the press from accessing the affected area, where the operation were taking place.

"Security forces established a perimeter and announced: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in the community, explained he managed to enter into the restricted zone, where he remained until the next morning.

He described that Tuesday night, community members commenced searching the hillside that borders the Penha neighborhood from the adjacent Alemão area for relatives who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Local people from the Penha area arranged the discovered victims in a public space - and Itan's photos display the emotions of those present.

"The brutality of the situation shook me profoundly: the grief of relatives, mothers fainting, women carrying children, weeping, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The photographer

The governor of the region stated that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 officers was aimed at preventing a criminal group called the criminal faction from increasing their control.

Initially, state authorities claimed that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" lost their lives during the action.

They have since said that initial estimates indicates that 117 alleged criminals have been killed.

The public legal service, that gives legal support to the poor, has estimated the total number of people killed to be 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang represents the unique criminal entity that in the past few years has succeeded to increase its control throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs in the country, together with First Capital Command, featuring a timeline dating back more than 50 years.

According to correspondent a specialist, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio for years, Red Command "operates like a franchise" with neighborhood bosses joining the organization and becoming "operational allies".

The criminal group focuses mainly on narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking firearms, precious metals, fuel, beverages smoking products.

Per law enforcement statements, organization members have substantial firearms and police said that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance from explosive-laden drones.

The official of the state, the political leader, labeled gang affiliates as drug terrorists and referred to the four police officers fatally injured in the action as "heroes".

However, the count of fatalities during the raid has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities saying it was "appalled".

In a media appearance the next day, the state leader justified security actions.

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We intended to detain everyone safely," he stated.

He added that the events had escalated because the suspects fought back: "It resulted of the retaliation they implemented and the overwhelming response from the gang members."

The state leader additionally stated that the victims presented by community members in Penha had been "manipulated".

Via a statement on online platforms, he claimed that certain victims had been removed of military-style attire that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation onto the police".

Felipe Curi of Rio's civil police force also said that military attire, vests, and weapons" were stripped from the casualties and displayed evidence apparently demonstrating a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse